What to Expect at Next Week’s Skift Data + AI Summit on June 4

There is a ton of excitement as we look ahead to our inaugural Skift Data + AI Summit on June 4 in New York City.

Join us as we hear how some of the larger themes and advancements in AI are impacting travel: from big players – including Microsoft, United Airlines, Expedia, Kayak, KLM, Destination Canada, and more – to smaller companies like NLX, Plum Guide, and Winnow; we will unpack what they have launched, how they think about the data needs and challenges across travel, and their tactical approaches to implementation.

Don’t miss out as we cover these themes and more across the summit:

It’s All About the Data 

We’ll start the day with Marriott’s Chief Revenue & Technology Officer Drew Pinto highlighting the investments and steps the brand as taken to build data readiness and experiment with AI initiatives, emphasizing strategies for integrating commerce and technology. Rajesh Naidu, Expedia’s Chief Architect will cover how they broke down data silos, opening up new uses for customer data and paving the way for robust AI deployments. We’ll hear lessons from Microsoft’s Shane O’Flaherty on what he is seeing in terms of industry readiness, as well as the ways the industry could accelerate its adoption.

Implementation

Implementation of AI in travel will be a major theme, with Amex GBT‘s Marilyn Markham and KLM‘s Matthijs Kieskamp getting tactical on their approaches to cleaning up data and integrating AI in large organizations. United Airlines CIO Jason Birnbaum will also share his views on real-time solutions for both operations and customers, and the airlines experiments in using AI to drive efficiencies. We’ll hear from Winnow Founder Marc Zornes on how he is combating food waste across hospitality and Destination Canada‘s Meaghan Ferrigno will also unpack their recently announced Data Collective, sharing how destinations should rethink about the data they track and quantify in the future.

Personalization

Personalization and how AI can deliver more tailored travel experiences to travelers will come up often throughout the event. For brands, having access to quality, proprietary data will be key, and travel startup Legend’s Stephanie Daniel will give a tactical demo on how they see zero-party data – or data users voluntarily share with a company – becoming a competitive advantage in the future. Brook Bay Capital investor Gilad Berenstein will also discuss his views on how AI might unlock a heightened experience for travelers, as well as how we can decipher hype versus reality.

Understanding LLMs

Large Language Models can be an incredible tool for solving business and big data challenges, but they are not magic. We’ll hear from NLX‘s Andrei Papancea on the practical applications and ways to think about these tools, and also the impractical or uninformed ways the industry often thinks these tools can be implemented. We’ll also hear from short-term rental brand Plum Guide and their COO Graham Foulds for a demo on how they have used LLMs to dramatically improve guest experience, onboarding of new properties, and a streamlining of their listings, improving conversion. Kayak‘s Chief Scientist & SVP, Technology Matthias Keller, will also discuss their recent experiments and the potential shifts from traditional search to AI-powered results in the future.

An Era of Experimentation

From a foundation of good data, companies across travel can start to fully realize the power of AI, but experimentation and human ingenuity is key. For an investor view, we’ll hear how Thayer Venture‘s Chris Hemmeter, and Highgate Venture‘s Kurien Jacob see the innovation landscape presently and how technology can drive change for consumers, the online travel marketplace, and operational efficiencies. Skift Advisory‘s Joe Naaman will reinforce why this new era needs a “Yes And” mindset and why experimentation is key to staying ahead in this new era.